Digital correlation device



April 19, 1960 D. A. KOHL DIGITAL CORRELATION DEVICE Filed Sept. 4, 1956 FIG. 3

FIG. 2

FIG. 6

FIG. 5

IN VEN TOR. OOUGLHS A. (06/1 United States Patent O ice 2,933,255 DIGITAL ('JORRELATION DEVICE Douglas A. Kohl, Osseo, Minm, assignor to General Mills,

, Inc., a corporation of Delaware Application September 4, 1956, Serial No. 607,783

4 Claims. v c1. 235-198 This invention relates generally to correlation devices and pertains more particularly to a device of this character capable of determining the significance of correlative digital information falling within an acceptable functional relationship.

One object of the invention is to provide a digital correlation device that is very rapid in the processing of digital information, thereby making the device exceptionally useful where a large mass of information is to be handled. For example, in conducting quality control operations, especially with reference tocontinuous flow processes, it will belrecognized that any delayin analyzing the information permits the operation to continue, even though an error correction should be made. Quite obviously, in high speed operations considerable waste or a large number of rejects can result in only a short period of time.

Not only is the device forming the subject matter of the instant invention fast acting, but it is highly reliable and accurate.

Further, the envisaged'device is quite versatile. Also, the invention has for an aim its use as an analytical tool when seeking to find the nature of the correlation if such correlation exists.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a digital correlation device that will be simple in its construction and inexpensively maintained in an operable condition.

Other objects will be in part obvious, and in part pointed out more in detail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereafter set forth and the scope of the application which will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the drawing: I t

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my digital correlation device, the view showing the use of a mask having an opening therein formed in accordance with one function;

Fig. 2 -is afront elevational view of the mask utilized in Fig. 1; t

Fig. 3 is a view representing the number of light pulses that would be permitted to pass through the mask of Fig. 2 at different time intervals, thereby representing the distributionof data within the acceptable function; and

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are views of masks involvingother typical functions that the various openings formed therein may assume. I

As exemplified in Fig. 1 the digital correlation device or system comprises a raster generator, the generator herein depicted being in the form of a tube 10. Such a tube which is capable of adaptation to the technique presently to be described may be a NU-lOOV tube, manufactured by the National 'Union Electric Corporation, Orange, NJ. However, as an alternative, an electroluminescent screen may serve as the raster generator. Such a screen is described in U.S. Patent No. 2,698,915 granted to W. W. Piper on January 4, 1955, and need not be detailed-here. -A-further alternative can be a mosaic made up of individual miniature neon bulbs.

2,933,255 Patented Apr. 19, 1960 As pictured, though, the generator 10 has a face 12 comprising a multiplicity of criss-crossing grid wires 14, 16, the wires 14 residing in' one plane and thewwires 16 in another plane spaced slightly to the rear, thereby permitting the gas within the tube to occupy the intervening region. Since the wires 14 are horizontalthey may collectively be referred to as X wires and the vertically directed wires 16, as Y wires. The point to be stressed here is'that in actual practice the wires in each of the parallel planes are located very close together and are quite small in cross-section, thereby producing a large number of gas separated cross-over points.

By reason of the interposed region of gas, whenever any one wire 14 is sufliciently energized simultaneously at one polarity with respect to a wire 16 at an opposite polarity, or when there is suflicient relative potential between wires, the gas contained within the tube 10 becomes excited to the extent that a glow discharge is generated at this particular cross-over point. In this way a minute spot of light or light pulse is produced. Such a spot of light has been indicated at 24 in Fig. 1. 7

One end of each of the wires 14, 16 is attached to one of a multiplicity of terminals 26. Those terminals 26 connectedto the wires 14, i.e., the X wires, are electrically connected to an X pulser 28 via a cable providing a channel 30, whereas the terminals 26 connected to the wires 16, i.e., the Y wires, are similarly connected to a Y pulser 32 by way of a cable constituting a channel 34. These pulsers 28, 32, which may be conventional ring counters, are connected to a data reader labelled 36 by way of conductors 38, 40 respectively. The data reader 36 can be a perforated card reader in which holes are punched representing both X and Y values. For purposes of explanation, we will assume that the data reader 36 receives its X information in the form of a sequence of electrical pulses via a conductor or channel 42 and its Y information by way of a conductor or channel 44, both of these last-mentioned channels being connected to a supply of recorded information (not shown).

In the illustrative situation the information fed to the data reader 36 is in the form of a sequence of electrical pulses. Therefore, none of the wires 14 or 16 should be energized until the data reader has received all of the X and Y pulses over the conductors 42, 44. To this end, mark circuitry 46 is employed, suggestively a one shot multivibrator, having conductors 48, 50 connected to the earlier-mentioned conductors 38, 40. By reason of additional conductors 52, 54 the pulsers 28 and 32 are prevented from sending their pulsing signals 'over the channels 30, 34 until sufiicient time has elapsed for the receipt of all of the data pulses via the conductors 42, 44.' In this respect, it can be appreciated that if the X information involves the handling of only five pulses and the Y information the handling of ten pulses with equal pulse rates, a delay will have to be furnished which is adequate to receive the larger number of pulses.

Disposed in front of the tube 10 is a generally opaque mask 56 having a cut-out or transparent portion 58 corresponding to the desired function. In other words, the opening 58 is of a size and shape such that light pulses produced by information having acceptable tolerances will pass therethrough, whereas those falling outside of the tolerated limits will simply impinge upon the opaque portion bordering the opening. For instance, the cluster of dots denoted by the numeral 60 in Fig. 3'may' represent a mass of information producing light pulses that are transmitted through the cut-out portion 58.

Those light pulses that do pass through the mask 56 are directed onto a convex lens 62 serving to concentrate the pulses over an area sufiiciently small so that the pulses will all impinge upon a light detector including a photocell 64. By virtue of the photocell 64 each light pulse is transformed or converted into an electrical pulse. I

Each electrical pulse from the photocell is in turn delivered to a gating means 66. A line 68 operatively associates the gate 66 with the mark circuitry 46 so that the gate is apprised of each set of data picked up by the data reader 36. Typically, the gate 66-may be adjusted so that in order to produce output pulses to be fed to a scaler or counter 70 there must be three light pulses passed through the mask opening 58. Otherwise no output signal will be produced and the scaler 70 will remain inactive or unregistrative. Thus, as described, the gating means 66 maybe termed a 3 in a row gate. When a 3-in-a-row gate is desired, a three tube ring counter may be employed. Note that the level of significance of the correlative data is ascertained by this gate; e.g. a S-in-a-row gate would result in a much greater significance than 1, 2, or 3 in-a-row. Two more tubes would be added to the counter in making up a S-in-a-row gate.

As can be discerned from Figs. 4, and 6, other functions may be utilized. Accordingly, Fig. 4 depicts a mask 72 having an opening 74 therein; Fig. 5 presents a mask 76 provided with a differently configured opening 78; and Fig. 6 illustrates a mask 80 having a still different opening 82 therein. Each opening or transparent portion, therefore, represents a dififerent correlation function that should be related to the stored informationpicked up or read by the data reader 36. All that need be done is to substitute for the mask '56 another mask having the desired correlation function or shaped opening therein for the input information to be analyzed in terms of another functional relationship. Note that the width of the mask aperture will set the variability index of deviation of the data about the function.

The operation of the device is very simple and straightforward, it is believed. The input data is fed to the data reader in the form of electrical pulses. When sufficient time has elapsed for the accumulation of the total number of pulses, the mark circuitry 46 triggers the pulsers 28, 32 thereby to energize the appropriate wires 14, 16 for that particular set of data. The light spot produced by the tube 10 sends forth a light pulse that passes through the transparent portion 58 of the mask 56 if it is within the predetermined functional limits of said opening; otherwise the light pulse is lost and no registration on the counter or scaler can ensue.

When a light pulse is received by the photocell 64, an electrical pulse is delivered to the gate 66. Because of'the gates interconnection with the mark circuitry 46 any preferred number of pulses can be made to occur in a serial relation in order to open the gate. The out put from the gate is then counted by the scaler 70.

Accordingly, with a particularly number of sets of data'read by the data reader 36 and a lesser number of pulses counted on the scaler 70 it can be seen that a ready indication of the percentage of acceptable information can be ascertained without resort to the role played by the gate 66. With the gate 66 in operation an indication of the conformance of the information can be had as the counting progresses, for the scaler 76 will register nothing or a smaller number, thereby, for instance, monitoring a production line or continuous process as such production progresses.

In summary, it is to be noted that these three concepts exist:

(1) A set of data is analyzed to see if it conforms with a certain functional relationship or correlation. The functional relationship is the geometrical shape of the mask aperture in terms of the two dimensional coordinates.

(2) The level of significance of this data is directly related to the gate. The significance is changed by making the gate 1, 2 in a row, 3 in a row, etc.

(3) The variability of the data is measured by making the function, i.e. the mask aperture, wider or broader.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could he made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted. as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the language used in the following claims is intended to cover all of the generic and specific .featuresof the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

What is claimed:

1. A digital correlation device comprising a raster generator for producing discrete light spots at preferred locations on the face thereof, pulsing means for energizing said raster generator so as to produce successive light spots, the locations of which are representative of certain informational data, mask means having a transparent portion formed in accordance with a preferred function, photocell means, said mask means being interposed between said raster generator and said photocell means, and means associated with said photocell means for counting the number of light pulses reaching said photocell means via said mask means, thereby providing an indication as to'the percentage of said informational data that does not conform to said preferred function.

2. A digital correlation device in accordance with claim 1 including gate means positioned between said photocell means and said counting means, said gate means also being associated with said pulsing means, whereby said gate means will prevent registration by said counting means unless a predetermined sequence of light pulses is received by said photocell means.

3. A digital correlation device comprising a raster generator including a multiplicity of criss-crossing Wires arranged in spaced parallel planes for producing discrete light spots at preferred crossover points upon energization of the two wires forming that particular crossover point, data reading means, pulsing means associated with said data reading means for successively energizing any two criss-crossing wires to produce light spots the position of which is representative of informational data read by said data reading means, mask means having a transparent portion formed in accordance with a preferred function, said mask means being interposed between said raster generator and said photocell means, and scaler means associated with said photocell means for counting the number of light pulses reaching said photocell means via said mask means, thereby providing an indication as to the percentage of said informational data corresponding to said preferred function and the tolerances permitted by the amount of transparency to either side thereof as determined by the size of said transparent portion.

4. A digital correlation device in accordance with claim 3 including gate means positioned between said photocell means and said counting means, said gate means also being associated with said pulsing means, whereby said gate means will include electrical pulses produced ,by said photocell means from reaching said scaler means unless as a predetermined sequence of light pulses is received by said photocell means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,144,337 Koch Jan. 17, 1939 2,527,512 Arditi Oct. 31, 1950 2,617,042 Wouters Nov. 4, 1952 2,856,128 Ferre Oct. 14, 1958 

